Congressman Charlie Dent and his Democratic opponent, Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan, traded some punches last week about the types of money being contributed to each other’s campaign.

Dent called out Callahan for allowing the law firm Nelson Mullins, Riley and Scarborough for holding a Washington, D.C., fundraiser for him last week. The large firm is reported to be representing VISA USA Inc. on a financial regulatory reform before Congress. Dent says the fundraiser isn’t consistent with Callahan’s “campaign rhetoric,” which attacked a Dent fundraiser a couple of weeks ago.

“John Callahan keeps repeating scripted talking points about ‘contributions from Wall Street Commercial Banks and Securities & Investment Industry special interests’,” Dent’s camp said in a prepared release. “Callahan’s hypocrisy is growing as is the credibility gap between his rhetoric and reality.”

Campaign manager Justin Schall dismissed the news release, saying the power of regulatory reform is not in a law firm’s hands but Congress’. Dent has repeatedly voted against regulatory reform, Schall said. (Dent has said he voted against previous bills because they perpetuated further bank bailouts.)

Callahan’s camp, in a separate release, pointed out that Dent’s campaign took $10,500 from Texas Freedom Fund, a political action committee of Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas.Barton came under fire last week when he sided with big oil over President Obama’s administration at a congressional hearing. At the hearing, Barton apologized to BP for the $20 billion escrow fund that the administration asked BP to create to cleanup the Gulf oil spill.

Like other Republicans last week, Dent distanced himself from Barton and supported the $20 million escrow fund. A blog for The Hill last week reported a Republican lawmaker calling on Barton to step down from his committee post.

Callahan’s camp is pushing Dent to give back the $10,500 and wanted to know if Dent thinks Barton should “step down over his apology to BP.” Callahan tallied $113,047 that Dent has received from oil and gas special interests.

“Congressman Dent has taken $10,500 from Joe Barton's leadership PAC and a lot of that money came from oil special interests,” Callahan said in a prepared statement. “I think Congressman Dent should do the right thing and give that money to one of the many charities working to help the families affected by this crisis.”

Dent’s camp pointed out that the congressman has never taken "a single dime" from BP yet the leader of Callahan’s party – President Obama – has received more than $75,000 in contributions directly from BP’s PAC and employees and Democrat Majority Leader Steny Hoyer has taken at least $6,000.

“When John sends out a release telling President Obama and Steny Hoyer to give their BP cash to a Gulf charity, then he’ll be doing something other than spouting talking points from the DCCC,” Dent’s campaign said in a statement. “…If John Callahan wants to send a bipartisan letter to President Obama regarding giving his campaign contributions to charity, he knows how to reach us.”